It looks like the U.K. boarding school, Harrow, is opening a campus in the U.S. Do you think that this will appeal primarily to American students? International students? How many people on this board would have considered Harrow (U.S.) instead of an American school?
How to Start a British Boarding School on Long Island Without Embarrassing Britain
In September, the Harrow International School New York will welcome its first students to a 170-acre campus in Oakdale, roughly midway between Manhattan and the Hamptons.
Harrow’s U.S. expansion is years in the making, and for good reason. Grafting one of the most storied U.K. boarding schools onto America without sullying the name is a high-wire act that requires both native savvy and an advanced degree in British elitism…
Then there are the really tough questions facing Harrow New York: Will it use American or British spellings? Will there be girls? And what about the straw boater hats that Harrovians famously don around campus?
Sipple and his team are preparing to host about 60 students in September, grades six through 10. That will swell to 350 three years later, with grades 11 and 12 tacked on. The cost: $75,000 for seven-day boarders; $61,000 for day students. Harrow has been hosting events and sending marketing emails to well-heeled parents.
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/british-boarding-school-long-harrow-eton-24418263?st=SHeYci&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
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It’s a name licensing agreement. The new school is owned/operated by Amity, a for profit company. They already have several Harrow satellites in Asia. That would be my starting point for exploration.
I’ve been watching a few players in this space (Inspired, Crimson, etc…) with curiosity. They are making inroads here in our city but give a seriously transactional/overtly aspirational impression. Not my thing, but it must appeal to someone? At least those companies create original offerings. I’m not sure what’s in it for Harrow (the actual Harrow, in England) beyond a little cash. I’m surprised they pursue this.
And boaters really are overrated.
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I just don’t see it. Had they opened in that location during Covid, they would have filled up immediately. If they are playing on the Harrow name, my guess is they will fill up with day students and International Asian students like many of the smaller newcomers to the scene.
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Yikes, I would do a LOT of research before I sent my kid to a for-profit BS.
Seems like a money grab to get lots of international students to US and in a school with an internationally known name.
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The School is already appealing to a global market based on web data and social media engagement, including the US, China, Latin America, Europe and other Asian nations.
The School attracted and has made job offers to top faculty around the world.
The New York location, size of the campus, waterfront, proximity to NYC, IB Curricula, and Harrow traditions and name recognition will absolutely make this a top school.
Given the timing of the charter approval, the school missed the traditional enrollment cycle for 25/26. The School needs to open in order to apply for the governmental approval to grant international student visas. Therefore, year 1 enrollment will be light.
Founding families will enjoy a boutique experience with said light numbers. Founding students will found clubs, teams, student orgs, etc; automatically providing leadership experiences that top universities look for.
The School needed to receive a charter before it could initiate processes to achieve nonprofit status.
Cool Theory Bro, indeed. User name checks out 
On a more serious note, I’m highly skeptical of any sort of licensing agreement of this nature. I don’t care how much the licensee tries to be like Harrow. It won’t be Harrow, no matter who staffs it or how much they charge.
Which is not to say that it won’t fill up with NY-area strivers who don’t get into GLADCHEMMS and (especially) Asian families who don’t know or care to know the difference. Perception is reality for all too many people, and if this place is perceived as prestigious it’ll be fully enrolled before long.
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Right. BMW will never be Mercedes.
No matter how much folks rail against franchises, this School will be in New York, with top faculty, a top Name, top end facilities, and oversight from top end leadership. It will be in the category of 10SA and be a formidable choice.
You don’t know this.
It could become one of a handful of private schools which are well known in
educational circles for being a terrific option for families with lots of money whose kid can’t get into (or stay in) the more demanding private schools, but who can’t admit to family and friends that they’ve reached the end of the educational railroad. Kid not smart enough to get into an exam or magnet HS; kid has behavioral issues so has been politely invited not to return to their current school; families are grateful to find a place which will cash their check and supervise their kid (or not). And before they place the kid in a “wilderness academy” in Utah… they’ve got one more shot at respectability.
There is a reason why many of these schools have such strong appeal for international families. They use a different set of “educational consultants” and aren’t hearing the cocktail party/club chatter.
But predicting the educational/pedagogical quality is like betting on the horses. They can hire the most fantastic faculty in the world- but if the kids are the C- students who were running a meth lab in the basement of their last private school, good luck to them!
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Anyone else wonder about the guy that joined the forum just hours before trying to sell the Harrow experience as soon as it was mentioned?
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Or it could turn out to be like Whittle School and Studios, which hired great faculty and well known administrators (including, I think, a former head of Harrow) and failed spectacularly.
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It is not clear to me if you are failing your employer spectacularly, or are an Old Etonian taking the piss? I suspect the former. Other readers can judge for themselves?
Regardless, boaters remain overrated.
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What is the placement like for the Harrow schools in Asia? Are they actually getting students into OxBridge? U.S. colleges? Or do I misunderstand the priorities of the international boarders?
Have there been any examples of for-profit boarding/private schools being successful in terms of their outcomes for students?
It also seems like an odd time to open a boarding school in the U.S. that’s primarily for international boarders given the current uncertainty around visas.
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The number of U.S. based for-profit boarding prep schools and colleges delivering a high-quality educational experience while also returning an adequate Return on Capital to investors is…???
BASIS comes to mind, and even then, I hear many complaints about it, and to the best of my knowledge, doesn’t offer domestic boarding.
The top boarding schools all run natural operating deficits, offset by endowment funds and annual fund raising campaigns. Constructing and running new dorms tends to be a money-losing proposition as well.
And good luck with importing Harrow’s steeped traditions, history, mystique, and ability to attract and retain superior faculty.
I cannot believe Harrow licensed its name out for this.
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From AISL Harrow on LinkedIn:
Apologies. For some unknown reason this platform will not let me post screenshots or links. Look up AISL Harrow on LinkedIn and you can see university acceptance performance related content.
Spam prevention. Brand new users can’t post links or images. And some domains are blocked for all users.
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If the core of a Harrow education is its cultural context—centuries-old traditions, British social networks, and a deeply UK-rooted worldview—what exactly are U.S./international students paying $75,000 a year for on Long Island? A costume party version of British elitism without the substance? (Hats optional)
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Combining the best boater, crew, and hockey traditions, mere “minutes” from Times Square.
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Someone would need to be geographically challenged to describe Oakdale as “mere minutes” from Times Square!
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